Atheism and youth

All too often I hear people say, "I was an atheist when I was in college/younger/a teenager, but then god found me and I became a christian." In my experience, the Atheist community consists largely of people over 30 and I think that A/N reflects that. Along with the testimonials of alleged "ex-Atheists" it would appear as though there is a narrative within the christian community that Atheism is a young persons belief, and that the increased wisdom of many years leads to a conclusion that god exists. That conclusion is usually based on things like a "gut feeling" or "some of the unexplainable things I've seen", or "how life seems to work its self out".

So what gives A/N? How many of us were "converted" when we were young and maintained our beliefs and how many of us took many many years to dis-believe. Also, why is it that people who profess to atheism in their youth eventually join a church? I suspect that the answer is more complex than the simple need for a security blanket.